The Hero Dies In This One
by OfficiallyNonOfficial
Summary: After Tori accuses her of "hating the idea of anything good happening to her," Jade takes it upon herself to prove her wrong.
1. Took One To The Heart

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN VICTORIOUS. I do however, have Eliza Dushku bound and gagged in my closet.**

**AN: Yuu know when an idea pops in ur head n it won't let yuu think of anything else until you write it down? Well this is that idea festering itself. Ugly word, festering. Ugh! I wanted to write it all in one chapter but I broke it up into two parts instead. It's my twist on the episode Begging On Your Knees. Please please please tell me what you think. I'll give you virtual cookies. And strippers! :D Come on, you know you want a stripper…**

You know those ditzy, optimistic people who look like they're walking on sunshine who smile at everything? The people who are too damn cheerful in the morning, the people who think you can fix everything with a song, the people who just irritate the crap out of you because it's not natural to be that uppity?

Tori was one of those people today. She was positively beaming as she strolled to the lockers with a little extra pep in her step and the cheesiest smile Jade had seen yet. Also the fakest smile ever. It didn't reach her eyes.

This ought to be good. Or bad. Really bad. Accident on the freeway bad.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she adopted her classic 'I'm indifferent or angry,' pose. Beck gave her a quick smile but it was loaded. He was practically begging her through a glance to behave.

She smirked. As if.

"Hey!" Tori greeted her friends, her voice cheerful and light as she set her arms around Robbie and Andre. A secretive look shot at her was easily rebuffed. Tori rolled her eyes quickly before pasting on the smile from before.

Jade hated it instantly.

Andre beamed at this best friend, picking up on her impossibly good mood. He was perceptive like that. And it was kind of hard to miss the cloud 9 look on her face. "Oooh someone's all happy about something."

Thank you Andre for stating the damn obvious! Jade frowned and not just to keep up her persona. He was supposed to be her best friend, yet he was buying her act at face value.

Then again, she did a hell of job selling it. If she didn't know her, really know her, she would have bought it too.

"Yeah, it's making me sick." She spat. It really was. Her little outburst got the desired reaction. A look of hurt flittered across her expression. But Tori was an actress, a very good one, and she quickly hid it.

"Um, is there a reason why girls don't want to go out with me?" Robbie suddenly asked.

The attention of the group shifted to the spectacled, curly haired ventriloquist. Tori made a face, "You mean a reason that stands out above all the other reasons?" She asked, truly curious to know his answer.

"Ha!" Robbie's mischievous puppet snorted.

"So why are you so happy?" He deflected, clearly not in a good mood.

Jade internally growled, Tori was like a damn Christmas tree all bright and.. Glow-y. It did not sit well with her. It rang false. Kind of like seeing the light at the end of a tunnel and thinking it was God when really it was the light of a damn train headed straight for you.

These type of things did not escape her notice. Neither did the fact that the brunette caught her eyes, a silent message passing between them before she smiled at Robbie.

"Cus Ryder Daniels asked me out!"

And there it was.

Wait!… What?

"Oh, he's hot." Rex commented, much to Robbie's (and Jade's) dismay. And once again the attention went Robbie's puppet. "Stare all you want," he challenged upon receiving their curious looks, "I'm secure." That puppet spoke his mind.

Unfortunately so did Jade.

Three…two…one…

"I don't like that guy." She said bluntly, aware of how bitter that sounded. She didn't mean for it to come out that way but it did.

She might as well have lit a firework under Tori's shapely ass.

"You just hate the idea of anything good happening to me!" She snapped, starting down the hall.

That wasn't it. She couldn't have been more wrong if she tried. To their friends it might seem like she was being typical Jade. But she knew Tori knew that wasn't the case. The urge to reach out and stop her leaving almost made her cave.

"You know that could not be more true." She retorted in true Jade fashion. She spun around, ready to watch the brunette go. Instead Tori pushed herself against the lockers looking very put off. She was even pouting. Jade rolled her eyes. Oddly enough, none of their friends had stepped in to stop her verbal beating and figured it was time to tone it down a notch. There was such a thing as overdoing her persona. "I'm just saying any dude that hot and that perfect has to be hiding something."

God she wanted to rip her tongue off and burn it in a furnace. Her words must have sounded right though because the others seemed to agree with her. If only Tori did, too.

"So I guess you think Beck's hiding something," Andre probed.

Jade flinched. Beck was hot, and he was perfect. But she couldn't care less if he was hiding something. After all, weren't they all hiding something? Instead of sharing her thoughts, she decided playing along with it would entail the least problems.

"He was!" Beck's brows dipped. The gears were churning in his pretty little head. "Until I found out."

"Wh-what was I hiding?" He asked, coming up with nothing after a quick brain check. Nada. Zilch. He smiled sweetly to lessen the blow- she had nothing on him and they both knew it.

Of course, never one to be outdone (and seriously seeing that down trodden look on Tori's face was making her feel guilty!) she said what ever came to her.

"That you're secretly gay!"

Beck wasn't gay. But the short few seconds she had of a head start really helped. Stomping off in the opposite direction, she caught Tori's eyes mouthing silently to her before disappearing.

True to his puppy like nature, Beck followed soon after leaving Tori to deal with a sexually frustrated Robbie.

"So this Ryder guy…"

I

_Tori paced back and forth inside the janitor's closet, her eyes on her phone every other second. She checked the time again and groaned, it had only been fifteen seconds since she last checked. _

_Desperate much? Maybe. But they would have to pull her fingernails off one by one to get her to admit to it. _

_In the midst of her tantrum she failed to notice the door creaking open until with a loud bang it slammed shut. Tori shrieked, her hands gesturing wildly while she leapt back. Her back crashed into the broom which sent it careening down. _

_Right on her head._

_For all her troubles (and a mini stroke she was sure of it!) she found a very amused looking Jade leaning against said door. _

"_Jade!"_

"_Yep, that's me." The brunette retorted, flashing a small but genuine smile to show she meant it in fun. "Did you miss me?" _

_Her heart still pounding, Tori closed the gap between them. Slinking her arms around her neck, her eyes lingered on Jade's plump lips and her tongue unconsciously darted out to taste her own. _

"_You know I did baby."_

_Jade sighed, taking the initiative. Her hands slipped onto her waist pulling her flush against her body. It felt like laying out in the summer sun, her entire body affected by the heat. Their lips touched, then teased, then pulled away, and did it all over again. She moaned softly, Tori's tongue sweeping over her lips. Her grip tightened, a warm sensation in her chest._

_Tori gasped, her lips insistent. Kissing Jade was like a full frontal attack on all five of her senses. She tasted like cinnamon, sweet but spicy at the same time, her scent intoxicated her, a mixture of sunshine and peppermint. Firm muscles rippling under her touch intrigued her, but the softness of her skin spoke volumes of her femininity. The breathless, whimpered call of her name brought her blood to a boil, and finally, as she opened her eyes and gazed into Jade's emeralds, dreamy, dilated, and filled with desire… well…_

_A slow smile spread across her kiss assaulted lips. Jade whined as she broke the contact but settled for intertwining their fingers together. She allowed herself to bask in the after glow of their small make out for a few minutes. _

"_What are you doing this weekend?" Tori asked, her tone light and airy. "Maybe we can catch a movie or something?"_

_Jade knitted her brows together. "Beck wants to go out."_

"_Oh." She tried not to seem too disappointed. Slipping her hand free of Jade's she began fixing her hair, adjusting her clothes._

"_Are you leaving?"_

_Damn it! Where was her damn purse? So much for a quick non-dramatic exit. "Yep."_

"_Why?"_

_That did it. She whirled. Jade honestly looked confused. "Tell me you're kidding?"_

_A shrug. "We just got here. Why do you want to leave so soon?" She pushed herself off of the wall. What with their being in the janitors closet and all, one small step is all it took to put her face to face with a less than happy Tori. "Tori-"_

"_Jade, don't. Just please stop this right now."_

"_Stop what?"_

"_Stop touching me."_

"_You're being ridiculous!" She shouted, throwing her hands in the air. "What's your malfunction?"_

"_My malfunction," she growled, "is being your dirty little secret."_

_The instant it left her lips, Tori regretted her words. Jade gawked at her with hurt eyes. She knew the situation, knew it was because of her that they were doing this in the first place. Jade didn't want to do this, but of course she'd convinced her. If anyone should be pissed it should be her._

"_Do you really think so little of me?" Sure, she was angry- being wrongly accused did that to a girl. One little glance at the brunette, however, made every feeling that wasn't mushy, warm, lust-y, and generally fluffy impossible to hold on to. She knew she sounded weak, and so unlike herself but it really didn't matter. Perks of being with Tori included but were not limited to; shedding her mask, being real, not being judged, not having to meet any expectations. _

_Tori mentally slapped herself. This wasn't turning out the way she'd wanted it to. "You know that's not it."_

"_Then what's the problem, Tori?" She pleaded. _

"_I want you to break up with Beck."_

I

Jade was nervous, and Jade West did NOT get nervous. Angry, frustrated, irritated, annoyed, bored, hungry, horny, violent, creative, thoughtful, hell, even happy. But she did not get nervous. Yet here she was, wringing a handful of her leather jacket, burning a hole in the linoleum as she paced around the small, detergent smelling, suffocating janitor's closet waiting for- for what exactly? What did she hope to accomplish today?

The door flung open revealing none other than the woman herself.

"Tori…"

"You said it was important."

So she wasn't going to play nice? Fine! Jade could do mean. "If you'll give me a fucking minute I'll tell you." She snapped, setting her hands on her hips.

Tori mirrored her posture. "Fine. What?"

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! Okay, so she wasn't expecting this to be easy- not after their verbal smack down at the lockers- but she could already see Tori was going to make this absolutely painful for her.

Maybe she deserved it. She wasn't exactly nice this morning either.

'You have to try, Jade.'

"I meant what I said this morning."

"You mean the part about you hating anything good happening to me?"

Fuck…

'Breathe, Jade, breathe.'

"No, Tory," she ground out between clenched teeth. Who ever said this would be easy right? "I meant Ryder Daniels."

"Oh, right," Tori said, too loud, too fake, "you don't like a guy you haven't even met. Well," she scratched her head, "uh, gee, Jade, you're not the easiest girl to impress."

Tori gasped, she didn't even see her move. Now Jade had her by the wrists, breathing heavily with dark eyes and a hard frown carved into her features. "He's bad news!"

"You're just saying that because you don't want me to go out with him. News flash, you're not the only one who gets to have a life!"

"I'm trying to protect you, Tori, why are you being so difficult?"

Soft lips claimed her own, stunning her. Tori kissed her insistently, passionately, and just as wholeheartedly as before. Her own lips were just forming a response when she left her puckering at the air.

"Break up with Beck."

It was soft, pleading, a whimper. She was begging her, BEGGING her- a beautiful, talented, sweet, loving, funny, charming, one of a kind girl- begging for her to say two little words.

It's over. That's all she had to say. But to who?

To Beck?

Or to Tori?

"Tori," her voice sounded strained, choked, "I-I-"

"Yeah, Jade," her expression hardened, "you want to protect me from everyone else save for from the one person I truly need protecting from. Just.. Leave me alone, okay?" Again she caught her wrist, effectively keeping her in place.

"I'll leave you alone," Jade conceded, "if you promise me you won't go out with Ryder Daniels."

Tori looked at her, her eyes devoid of any emotion. She concluded it was a look she did not wear well. "Ryder's coming to my house tonight."

"Tor-"

"I didn't think you'd give up so easily."

Such sweet parting words. Too bad they cut through Jade like a steak knife through tender, falling off the bone- yeah okay. Weird analogy. Thinking of clever comparisons- not on the top of her priority list.

Ryder Daniels. Dark hair, dark eyes, smooth voice, talented, total babe. The guy couldn't be more perfect. Except he wasn't. Ryder Daniels had a reputation like a cobra- BAD! Mostly it was true. He liked using girls to get things done then ditched them when he was through. He'd done it a million times to a million girls. Why would she chose Ryder Daniels of all people? Why couldn't she chose Andre or Robbie or even Rex?

She realized Tori did this an attempt to move on from her, and really, she couldn't blame her for that. But this guy had trouble stamped on his forehead, and Tori was too upset with her to realize she was only looking out for her.

"I never give up." She whispered to the empty closet. Her body still tingled from that kiss, serving to remind her of how kissing Beck would never even come close to being half as exhilarating as kissing Tori Vega.

Sometimes she lay in bed thinking about it. Beck's kisses were okay. For a guy. But Tori's kisses hit her like a recreational drug, doing crazy things to her body and mind. The second they stopped she craved another fix even before she came completely down, never wanting to lose this amazing feeling that kept her warm. Alive.

But sometimes, every now and then her guilt would override those feelings, making her wish she could just forget about her and be content with Beck. Things with Beck were easy, simple, and routine. Tori was like a tornado, complex wild and dangerous.

It's what made her so damn appealing.

"And those jeans." Jade whistled, the corners of her lips turning. She made leaving look good.

* * *

><p>"It's official, my life sucks." The sound of munching and crunching in her ear insisted. She pulled a face. "Why are you eating cheetos so close to my ear?"<p>

Trina shrugged, happily munching while she touched her head to her knees. Upon seeing her sister's curious look she smiled. "I have to stretch these new jeans out."

"You know I sleep here, right?"

"Sorry my butt's gotta breathe." She said as if it were obvious. She tossed back another handful of cheetos, "Anyway, why does your life suck? You know, other than having to live in my shadow? I thought you had a hot date tonight?"

Tori leapt off of her bed and strolled to her large vanity mirror, checking her makeup, hair, and outfit once more. She looked hot. She smiled wistfully- that made her feel a tiny bit better. "I do. With Ryder Daniels."

Trina scrunched her face, adopting a new pose on the bed. "Be careful."

"Why?" She inquired, watching her sister make a fool of herself through the mirror. Times like these she wondered if they were really related.

"He's been with a lot of girls. You know my friend Lindsey?"

"Lindsey.. Girl who hates you, Lindsey?"

Trina blanched, then looked rightly offended. "So? I know her."

"Ahh."

"Anyways, she went out with Ryder last year and he totally broke her heart."

Tori paused, her reflection painted a happy image but her eyes, if she looked closely were swirling dark pools of emotions. Excited, sad, apprehensive, defeated. "He broke up with her?"

"With no warning," Trina continued animatedly, "like, BOOM! Over!"

…"Well, maybe he had a good reason," she said dismissively, applying an extra layer of mascara. Tonight was all about her and Ryder. She had to look good to feel good and she knew Ryder was the type of guy to make her feel great. "Now get lost, I want the house to ourselves."

Trina gazed at her seriously. "I'm assuming Jade knows about this."

Tori ignored her for a few minutes, touching up her eyeliner with a deliberate slowness that made her teeth grind. Or was that due to the fact that her sister called her out? "Jade has Beck, and now I have Ryder."

Trina fingered a curl, something she did only when she was feeling nervous or uncomfortable. "Ryder has expectations."

"Good." Her sister huffed, mostly ignoring her.

She sighed. "Don't do anything stupid, Tori." With that, she left the room, planning to go out for a night on the town. She definitely didn't want to be home when Tori met Ryder's expectations. She knew her sister well, and knew she was feeling insecure and very upset meaning she would probably do something stupid tonight.

Grabbing her keys and her phone she headed out the door quickly- if she even made eye contact with this Ryder guy there would be trouble. She understood Tori was trying to move on, but this wasn't the way to do it. Not with a guy like him.

Her fingers flew over the keyboard, searching through two hundred names before it highlighted Jade's number and she clicked send.

'**? happened w/u n baby sis?'**

She made it all the way down to her car before her phone went off in her pocket. Relieved, she felt relieved the spunky teen answered her for once.

'**None of ur biz'**

Trina groaned. Why couldn't her sister fall for someone with a little less attitude?

'**It's my business if my sister's in the house alone with some sleaze bag of a guy. She's really upset, and she's not thinking. Ryder isn't a good guy.'**

It took even less time for the girl to reply. Trina jumped into the car and stuck the key in the ignition.

'**I tried to warn her. She wouldn't listen.'**

'**? r u doing rite now?'**

'**y'**

'**We have 2 talk. Pick u up?'**

'**yea'**

'**b there in ten.'**

Trina tossed her phone onto the passenger seat and started the car. Whatever went down between her sister and her lover must have been pretty intense if she got Jade to agree to meet her that easily. She couldn't possibly imagine what happened to push her to such drastic measures but she knew whatever it was, it had to be fixed.

While she didn't quite like Jade, she knew the brunette cared for her sister deeply. Sure, she had some serious attitude problems, and more often than not she was a bit on the bitchy side, but she quickly learned that it was all an act.

Around her sister Jade was calm, easy going, dare she say, even pleasant to have around. She was hoping to appeal to this side of Jade tonight, to the girl who called every night to wish Tori a good night, the girl that brought her coffee in the mornings before heading to school.

It was a long shot, but it was worth it.

* * *

><p><em>Tori had a past. Didn't they all? But hers was a bit darker than most. Or so she believed. Maybe it wasn't, maybe it was. It started after her second boyfriend, a guy named Mark, told her she was beautiful. She felt like a million bucks. Every time they kissed, every time he touched her he called her beautiful. One night… well she trusted him with her most precious gift. And he took it.<em>

_The next day he broke up with her. _

_She felt like crap for weeks, felt like the lowest of the low, like dirt, like she was nothing. Her friends noticed, but they didn't say anything to make her feel better. Her parents noticed, but they rushed her and scared her away. Trina noticed, and she was the only one who knew. _

_It must be seriously psychologically warped crap but from then on she could only ever lift her self up when guys called her beautiful. And when a guy said that to her, it meant he wanted one thing from her and one thing only. Yeah it was strange, yeah it was fucked up. She was fucked up._

_A vicious cycle, Trina called it, self loathing at its worst. Trina tried to help her, she really did. But she couldn't even help herself. _

_Then Jade called her beautiful. _

_She'd tensed up, thinking the angry brunette wanted what everyone else wanted. Instead she'd held her face gently with one hand, the other pulling her close, and she kissed her then she said goodnight and left. _

_Jade called her beautiful and for once Tori felt like someone truly meant it when they said it. _

_I_

"You're beautiful, you know that?" Ryder stretched, the blanket sliding down his muscled body. The curtains were open, allowing a steady stream of moonlight to filter in and bathe him. His creamy skin glowed, giving him a surreal, dreamlike quality as he laid there, arms crossed behind his head, a tired smirk on his thin lips. His foot bobbed to some melody in his head.

Tori cocooned herself in a blanket and studied him from the other side of the bed. Ryder was amazingly good looking, very talented, smart, and over all good boyfriend material. A crease formed between her brow, so why did she feel so dirty right now?

'Probably because it was only your first date,' her conscious answered. She rolled her eyes.

'Yeah, well, where were you when I needed you?' She snapped back. A sure sign of insanity was having a conversation with oneself. But damn it if the little voice in her head didn't infuriate her to astronomical proportions!

Too bad the voice was right. She hid her face behind a pillow, not bothering to peek out when the bed shifted beneath her.

"I had an awesome time," Ryder grunted, hopping into his dark jeans. He milled about the room searching for his shirt and shoes. "We should do it again. The date I mean… the other stuff too." Did he think he sounded funny? She wasn't laughing.

"Okay." She said simply.

"Cool. Later."

She waited until the door clicked shut before throwing the covers off of herself. She practically ran into the adjoining restroom and slammed the door shut breathing hard. Her reflection stared back at her; naked, exposed. Her hair was messy and tousled, her skin red in different areas where he'd manhandled her with his paws. Why couldn't guys be gentle?

Leaning over the tub she quickly adjusted the water and took one final glance at herself. She swore her own eyes were cruelly judging her.

'It's all in your head,' she told herself.

The warm spray of water down her back instantly relaxed some of her muscles. She closed her eyes, reveling in the feel of the warm water as it washed away Ryder's scent. Not that he smelled bad! He actually smelled very good, but the thought of his scent lingering on her skin made her sick to her stomach.

A slow, steady panic filled her chest… shit…

Reaching over her shoulder to lather herself, she cringed as the muscles in her back throbbed in time with her legs. A blinding rage filled her, something so unlike herself. She whirled to get out of the tub, slipped, and ended up sprawled on her back, the water jetting across her face.

The rage bubbled in her throat. "Fuck," she sobbed, covering her face with red hands.

There was no one there, no one to watch her break. Her mask didn't mean a thing because she couldn't hide the truth from herself; her acting wasn't worth a damn because there was no one here to believe her. She cried, her tears mixing with the water until she couldn't tell them apart any longer.

Why did it always hurt when it wasn't Jade?

* * *

><p><strong>Bonus Scene ^^<strong>

Robbie Shapiro was one bad mofo and he knew it! Everyone knew it! He could do anything he wanted, get anything he wanted. Boys trembled at his presence, the ladies swooned as he slicked back his dark straight hair from his eyes. He was good looking, had great hair, smelled amazing, and his intelligence was unmatched- what wasn't to like?

He flashed his charming, knee weaking smile to the pretty girl in front of him. "Do you want to go out Friday night?" Yes, yes he knew it might take her a moment to answer his question what with her heart racing and her pressure rising. He flicked some lint off of his shoulder and adjusted the collar of his leather jacket.

"I would, but I really rather stay home and do nothing."

Robbie watched as she practically ran away from him, his world shattering into a million pieces from which reflected all the pain in-

"You wish the above paragraph was true," Rex bellowed, interupting his emo moment.

Damn puppet.


	2. And Two To The Face

Ever get that feeling that everyone is watching you? That they're standing all around like vultures nearing a hurt animal, circling above, waiting for it to fall, to slip up and then they'll dive in and devour it.

Tori felt everyone's eyes on her as she walked into school. Normally it didn't bother her being the center of attention- she lived for it. Anyone who came to this school and didn't like attention had another thing coming to them.

But this attention, it felt different somehow. Like these people were not admiring her by looking down on her, like they didn't see her as an inspiration but rather an abomination. Something vile and vulgar.

She immediately sought out her friends, knowing she could always count on them to take a rainy day and make the sun shine for her. And as her luck would have it, they were nowhere to be seen as she made her way to their usual spot.

Now what?

As if to answer her question, the doors swung open and in walked Ryder Daniels.

Tori's stomach dropped. He looked cool as a cucumber, his dark hair perfect, his smirk infuriatingly endearing. She felt sick. Dirty. Cheap. His presence should have calmed her.

It only made it worse.

"Ryder!" She called, catching his attention. She was doing this to herself. But as she caught a glimpse of Beck and Jade turning the corner -the sight of them made her want to puke!- she didn't feel quite as bad looking at him.

The look on his face said it all. Guilty, scared, shocked. Now she knew why those vultures were circling above her. It didn't take a genius to figure it out. He pushed away the blonde hanging off of his arm.

Jade watched from her spot against Beck's locker as Tori's jaw dropped. Her eyes ticked over to Ryder who looked as if he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He put his hands up in defense. Right! As if Vega had the balls to actually hit him. Tori spun on her heel and stormed out of the hall. Ryder shrugged at all the questioning looks and continued on his merry way.

Beck raised a brow at the interaction, undecided if he wanted to follow his friend or steer clear of the drama. He had his own hands full with a very emotionally cutoff Jade.

"What was that about?" Jade asked, an innocent expression in place.

Beck frowned. "What did you do?"

"What?" She shouted, nearly toppling her coffee all over herself. She glared at her boyfriend, stepping out from under his arm. "You think I did something to Vega?"

"It wouldn't be the first time, Jade."

"Wha—I mean- you- How dare you? You're supposed to be on my side!" She sputtered, her voice rising. A few students caught wind of the commotion and stopped to stare. "And for your information, No, I didn't do anything! I'm offended!"

Beck shrugged, a lazy smirk on his lips. "You can't blame, babe, you're always messing with her."

"What's going on?" Andre asked.

Jade whirled. It was common knowledge- no one was safe from the fury of Jade West. "Tell Beck I didn't do anything to Vega!"

Andre pulled a face, raising his hands in surrender. "What happened to Tori?"

"What did Jade do this time?" Cat ventured, flashing her friends her patented ditzy smile.

"Agh!" Jade growled. Taking the lid off of her Starbucks -and she would cry for this later- she took a step back and tossed the warm, foamy liquid all over Beck's face. "Serves you right." She smirked at his mouth formed a wide O. Tossing the empty cup to the floor, she stormed off, hoping she could still find Tori before she disappeared. She was like a bunny in a magician's hat, popping up out of nowhere but leaving just as quick. Elusive...

She quickly combed the first floor. No sign of the Latina anywhere. She grumbled as she marched up the stairs and bumped right into Sinjin and Robbie. Today just wasn't her day. The two nerds gawked at her, terror shining clearly in their eyes. They were up to something.

"J-Jade!" Robbie stuttered, he obviously wasn't expecting her. And why should he? Not like she gave him any reason to . Tori might be the savior of all outcasts but she wasn't as forgiving. "What are you doing here?"

"Have you seen, Vega?"

"N-No."

She closed in on him. He backed into the wall. "What are you two rejects up to?"

Sinjin appeared over her shoulder, his curly blonde hair tickling the side of her face. She saw red for a second, so close to the worm she could smell his cheap body spray which he undoubtedly doused his clothes with. She resisted the urge to elbow him, if anyone knew something it was Sinjin and letting him see just how physical she was willing to get would be a good motivator.

Robbie trembled, backed into a corner like a gazelle. Jade was a furious, starving lion. He was dead meat!

"So, what do you know about Ryder Daniels?"

Sinjin sniffed her hair, a dreamy look on his face. "Senior, smart, hot."

Jade and Robbie exchanged looks. "I know all that. I mean, what do you really know?"

The creepy nerd sent Robbie a pleading look. Jade rolled her eyes and grabbed the collar of his shirt, prepared to drag him down to the janitor's closet and use some of her persuasive tools. Like the janitor's industrial scissors.

"Get lost if you know what's good for you, dweeb." She hollered to a shell shocked Robbie. "And fix your damn hair, you look like a fag!"

She glared at the staring students lined against the wall. There was no doubt in her mind that the rumors of her and Sinjin's "sex-escapade in the janitor's closet" would be circulating around the entire school by lunch time. She didn't care, roughly shoving the sputtering boy inside before slamming the door shut behind her.

"Start talking, Van- queef."

"It's Van-Cle-"

"Talk."

"Okay!" He said quickly. It was his dream to get locked inside a closet with Jade, the woman of his very very vivid dreams. His eyes widened. The Jade in his dreams didn't have a pair of sheers and a murderous glint in her eyes. "Ryder needs to get an A for his project if he wants to graduate!"

Jade took his words about as well as a blow to the gut. She'd known it all along, but some part of her had wished Ryder genuinely liked Vega. She shook those thoughts away. No matter. He was going to get what was coming to him. "If you hear anything else-"

Sinjin nodded eagerly, anything at a chance to be this close to his goddess. "He's telling everyone he and Tori had- well- you know..."

Jade visibly deflated. She couldn't even tease Sinjin about his virginity. If what he said was true, then Tori was in for a very rough day. Her fists clenched into tight white knuckled wrecking balls at her sides. She warned her, didn't she? She told her Ryder was no good for her! Why couldn't she just listen for once? Was it really that hard for her to believe that actually gave a damn?

Ugh!

She had to find Tori. Fast.

Flinging the door open, she charged out of the closet, her phone in her hands.

**'We have big trouble.'**

She shoved aside the cheerleaders surrounding the bathroom door, ignoring as they tried to apologize for getting in her way.

**'I know.'**

**'Ryder's spreading rumors. Have you seen Tori?'**

Vega wasn't in the bathroom. Jade snarled and punched the wall. Where the hell did she go? Tori didn't have a car, she would never make it home without getting picked up by the cops for skipping.

**'They're not rumors, Jade... sorry.'**

Jade stared at her phone, her eyes reading, her lips forming the words, but her brain refused to comprehend them.

They weren't rumors?...

"Fuck!" She howled, her fist drilling a whole in the wall. Within seconds the beige tiles were stained a deep red. Tori really wanted to hurt her this time. Why else would she do something so fucked up? To prove a point? "Fucking stupid, Vega, fucking stupid..."

**'Is the plan a go ahead?'**

Jade sucked in a deep breath and realized she was crying. Her fingertips ghosted across the hot, burning tears, anger and pain etched in her porcelain features. She couldn't let this get the best of her, it's exactly what Vega wanted.

**'Yes.'**

She pressed her cheek against the cool tiles, taking a few minutes to calm down.

Tori thought she didn't care. She couldn't be more wrong. She did care! More than the Latina would ever know. More than she cared to admit even to herself. She didn't want to see her get hurt- isn't that why she refused to dump Beck? Being a girlfriend came with responsibilities, expectations; what if she let her down, what if she wasn't what she expected her to be? What if she let her down? At least like this Tori knew what to expect of her.

Swiping her sleeve across her eyes, Jade ran the tap and placed her mangled fist beneath the water. The next time she decided to break her knuckles it would be on Ryder's face.

* * *

><p>"... Deep in my head now it's like... I'm... dreaming..."<p>

Tori belted out the final lyrics to her and Ryder's duet, his voice melding with hers to create a beautiful sound. He flashed her a heart stopping smile and just for a second she forgot about her problems.

Ryder was so handsome and talented. He could definitely be the one to take her mind off of Jade.

So why did she feel like trash? Why couldn't she even stick around long enough to look at her? So much for forgetting. Setting down her mic she messed with the keys on her laptop, intent on heading home. She wanted to leave a long time ago but her project got in the way of that. As much as she desperately wanted to disappear from here she knew a big chunk of her grade depended on this song.

Ryder set his microphone down climbing to his feet with a huge boyish grin on his face. "That was incredible. You're fantastic." The look in his eyes told Tori a million things, none of which she wanted to see.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" She leaned back, as far away from his as impossible without tripping over herself. "Were you about to kiss me?"

"Uh, yeah," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Technically it was but what kind of decent, respecting guy would just assume she wanted him to kiss her like that? Not that she had much of a leg to stand on after last night. "What's wrong?" He asked, sounding impatient.

She sat down, wringing her hands as she felt his stare on her. "About last night..."

"Last night was amazing." He cooed, crouching down in front of her. He gently took her hand, tipping her chin up to meet his eyes. "You're amazing."

Tori gave him a pleading look. She wanted so desperately to forget Jade, to concentrate on him. "Are you playing me?"

His lips twitched. "I would never do that to you."

"Who was that girl I saw you with this morning?"

"A friend. We've been best friends since elementary. Sometimes she holds my arm. It's no big deal, really."

"...Okay..." Trina told her she was naive once. She didn't believe it then. She didn't believe it now. She wasn't naive, she was simply too drained to fight it.

She released the breath she'd been holding as his lips pressed against hers. She closed her eyes and let him pull her against his chest. She wanted to get lost in the moment, feel the group slip out beneath her feet, feel her heart thunder in her chest, her blood heat up like lava in her veins. She wanted- no, needed Ryder to make her feel like she was flying because she was tired of falling...

Tired of falling for Jade.

They broke apart, Ryder breathing heavy while she wiped her mouth with her sleeve. He stood up, dusting off his pants and jacket before tossing his back pack over his shoulder. "I'll see you at the moonlight Jam."

"Yeah..."

She waited twenty minutes, reluctant to go out into the swarm of students all charging for the exit. Oh, who was she kidding? She was hiding, too afraid to let Andre or Cat or Trina or Beck see her. Too afraid and ashamed to let Jade see her.

When she was certain the last of the students had left the building, she collected her supplies and made her way out of the building and to the parking lot. As expected, most everyone was gone. Everyone except her friends who were waiting by Trina's car. She froze, ready to make a run for the bathroom when Trina hollered at her to come over.

Tori face palmed, gritting her teeth as the rest of her friends began calling her over. She took a deep breath and set a smile on her face. "Hey guys, what's up?"

She should have known something was up. Even Sinjin was there, hidden partially behind Cat and Andre. She frowned at her friends' serious expressions, her smile slipping at once.

"Tor, we need to talk to you." Trina said evenly.

She stiffened, a grim expression working itself into place. "About?"

"Ryder Daniels." Sinjin answered.

Tori looked at each one of her friends, not sure if she was thankful or pissed. "What about him?"

"He's not a good guy, Tori." Andre sighed, giving Sinjin a nod.

"Did Jade put you up to this?" She snarled, feeling trapped. It was an ambush, her friends were cornering her.

Trina scoffed, disgusted with her little sister. "Jade isn't even here. And if she was, you would do well to listen to her."

She never thought she would see the day that Trina defended her sister... Trina HATED Jade!...

"Look, I really appreciate you guys looking out for me but-"

Sinjin patted her shoulder, his wide eyes urging her. "Just watch this."

Tori shot her sister a desperate look, pleading with her to take her away. Cat, Robbie, Andre, even Sinjin- they were all here. They all knew! She didn't want them to know the kind of girl she'd been. Hollywood Arts was her second chance, a new beginning, a place to start a new.

"Trina... please..."

Trina bit her lip. The urge to give in to her baby sister's tormented eyes was almost unbearable. "You have to watch this."

The singer sighed, defeated. No way they were letting her go. Some part of her was happy, the other not quite willing to accept the fact that every person she'd ever been interested in ended up using her or being an asshole. Every person except Jade. What did this mean exactly? That she was doomed to live a miserable life standing on the sidelines watching as Beck got to live his dream next to the woman of hers?

Her eyes narrowed as a clear picture of Ryder leaning against the lockers came into scoffed, incredulous as Sinjin gangster walked over to his side and struck up a conversation.

"_So, I heard about you and Tori Vega. Right on."_

Ryder shook his head, jamming his hands into his pockets.

"_Whatever man. As soon as I get my A I'm out."_

Sinjin laughed, a little too fake. His eyes widened at Ryder's expression. He cleared his throat.

"_So you're using her to get an A. Pretty smart."_

"_Yeah," _Ryder smirked, "_that amongst other things. Her mouth's good for something other than singing if you know what I mean."_

Sinjin grinned, high fiving the dark haired boy. "_No. What do you mean?"_

Ryder rolled his eyes pushing himself off the locker. _"Later dweeb."_

"_That's what Jade calls me!" _The awkward teen shouted after him.

Andre took the laptop and shut it, handing it to Robbie. He gave Tori's shoulders a friendly squeeze. "I'm sorry, Tor."

Cat up behind her and patted her back. "We really are sorry."

"Yeah... yeah..." She took very little comfort from their sympathy. She didn't want them to feel sorry for her. "So what do I do now?"

"You want me to kick his ass?" Cat offered, a fierce little pout in place. Tori chuckled, trust Cat to make her laugh when she felt lower than dirt. Jade was right... She wasn't trying to ruin anything for her, she was trying to help her and she acted like a bitch and now whatever they had was gone.

"Thanks Cat, but it's okay. I think I'm just gonna go home and lay down for a bit. Rest up for the Full Moon Jam." She turned to her friends, offering them a watery smile. "Thank you guys. You're the best."

Trina watched her sister climb into the passenger seat. The last time she saw Tori so defeated she got a restraining order put on her after she did some serious damage to the guy's car with a golf club. If she got her hands on Ryder, well, he was going to wish she went after his car instead.

* * *

><p>Jade was seriously trying NOT to kill herself right now...<p>

_Goodbye my coney isle!_

But she was just a stanza away from bashing her head in with a lawn chair. Who in their right mind would let four pathetic dweebs get on stage? Who! Give her a damn name, she would set them straight!

Fortunately Tori's number was up next.

"Hey, I'm gonna go to the bathroom," she told Beck, slipping from his grasp, "I'll be right back."

"Okay. Hurry back, Tori's up next."

"I know." She smiled sweetly at him.

She shoved a few girls aside, and almost broke some guys ukelele in her quest to find her target. "There you are." She spotted Ryder kicking back in a director's chair chatting it up with some girl while Tori sat at the far corner by herself looking like her grandmother had just died.

In just a few seconds that asshole would get everything he had coming to him.

She waited, biding her time until the teacher's voice came over the intercom.

"Okay! Up next, singing a duet, we have Tori Vega and Ryder Daniels!"

Show time!

Tori climbed to her feet, shaking herself off. "I can do this," she told herself, "I can do this." Singing was her forte, her release, she couldn't let Ryder take that away from her as well. "Come on, girl." Taking a deep breath she walked out onto the stage, Ryder following on her footsteps. He waved to the crowd, girly screaming rising. He ate it up. She felt sick to her stomach.

"Hey you guys!" She greeted, trying to keep her voice even.

"Hey." Ryder said coolly. His brows dipped, his hands fumbling with the headset. "My mic's not working."

Tori glared at him, eyes darting to Sinjin and Robbie. They shrugged, tampering with the sound system.

"You won't need a mic, pretty boy, trust me."

Tori frowned, "Jade?"

Jade smirked strutting out onto the stage. The crowd mumbled amongst themselves, growing both annoyed and surprised with her sudden appearance. She stopped in front of Ryder, glaring at him. She sized him up, and decided in that split second to hell with the plan, she wanted cold hard revengence!

"I told you I wasn't lying, Vega." She glanced at the eldest Vega, "Sorry, Trina!"

Tori started, stunned by the brunette's appearance. Jade did always have a way of stealing her thunder. She held everyone's attention just by standing there. She was incredible... And what did she mean by 'Sorry, Trina?'... "Jade-"

Ryder pushed himself between them and grabbed her arm, ready to manhandle the brunette threatening to ruin his performance off the stage. "Listen-" His head snapped back, his grip on her arm lost as he stumbled backwards and crashed into the band.

Jade trailed after him, the bandages on her knuckles already soaked. Damn that fucking hurt but it was so worth it so see his stupid, shocked face when she punched him. She shook her fist out, a burning pain radiating from all across her arm. There go the knuckles... but at least this time it was Ryder's face. She grinned to herself, towering over the sneering loser.

"What the fuck?" he howled, struggling to sit up.

"That was for messing with Vega," she said. She reeled her foot back, the tip of her boot digging into his stomach, "and that was for thinking you ever had a chance with a girl like her."

Tori gawked on in stunned silence as Jade kicked Ryder one last time before dusting her blouse off. The brunette turned and smiled at her, then promptly jumped off the stage just as Lane and the security guard reached for her. She was in so much shit!

Jade zig zagged her way through the crowd, evading teachers and students alike as they tried to stop her. Beck, Andre, Robbie, Cat, Trina, and Sinjin jumped out of their seats and followed but not before throwing her a thumbs up.

"That fucking bitch!" Ryder coughed, shoving away a student. He staggered to his feet and whirled on her, his face a dark mask of anger. "What the fuck was that? Do you know that bitch?"

Tori yanked her fist back and let it fly. She caught Ryder squarely on the nose. He fell to the ground like a sack of wet potatoes. "She's not a bitch, asshole." Shaking herself out of her stupor, she jumped into the crowd and started for the back gate where Jade had run off to. She just kicked Ryder's ass for her- the least she can do is say thank you.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey look I finally updated. At one in the morning. On a school night. I think that calls for some extra loving, don't you? Love me, love me now! Review if you ever want to see the end of this story!<strong>


	3. Yo!

**AN: I know you all were expecting an update ( as was I lol) but college and work are being a mega bitch on two rags! So as of right now my stuff is on hiatus. And also, I've found the woman of my dreams and I'm so friggin happy so it's kind of hard to be in an angst-y state of mind when she's constantly putting a smile on my face. :D Okay I'll stop before I start gushing. **

**Reader- #_# "So, what you're saying is... blame your girlfriend?"**

**ONO- "EXACTLY!" XD**

**Please don't completely abandon my fics, this is only temporary. **

**Thanks guys! Cheers!**

**OfficiallyNonOfficial.**


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